LEO Satellite
Low Earth Orbit Satellite Internet
Broadband delivered via satellites orbiting at 550–1,200 km — close enough to achieve 20–60 ms latency versus the 600+ ms of traditional geostationary satellites, making real-time applications practical in remote areas.
LEO satellite internet (Low Earth Orbit) solves the biggest problem with traditional satellite internet: latency. At 35,786 km altitude, geostationary satellites add over 600 ms of round-trip delay — too much for video calls or gaming. LEO constellations like Starlink orbit at ~550 km, bringing latency down to 20–60 ms. Covering the planet requires hundreds to thousands of satellites working together as a constellation, with your dish continuously tracking and handing off between them.
Why Altitude Changes Everything
The speed of light in a vacuum is approximately 299,792 km/s. A signal traveling from your dish to a geostationary satellite and back covers over 71,000 km — adding at minimum 237 ms of one-way latency, or 474 ms round-trip, before accounting for any processing or routing delays. Real GEO latency is consistently 600–800 ms.
A Starlink satellite at 550 km altitude is only about 1,100 km away in round-trip distance. Even with multiple hops through the ground network, total latency drops to 20–60 ms — within the range where video calls, cloud gaming, and VoIP are all usable.
LEO vs GEO Satellite Comparison
| Parameter | LEO (e.g. Starlink) | GEO (e.g. HughesNet, Viasat) |
|---|---|---|
| Orbital altitude | ~550–1,200 km | 35,786 km |
| Round-trip latency | 20–60 ms | 600–800 ms |
| Typical download speed | 50–250 Mbps | 25–100 Mbps |
| Typical upload speed | 10–40 Mbps | 3–10 Mbps |
| Satellites needed to cover Earth | Thousands | 3–5 |
| Dish tracking | Active phased-array (electronic steering) | Fixed dish, manually aimed |
| Weather sensitivity | Moderate (heavy rain, snow on dish) | High (rain fade) |
| Gaming and VoIP usable | Yes | Generally no |
How LEO Satellite Internet Works
Your dish uses a phased-array antenna — a flat panel with thousands of tiny antenna elements — to electronically steer its beam and continuously track satellites as they pass overhead at roughly 27,000 km/h. Each satellite is in view for only a few minutes before the dish hands off the connection to the next satellite in the constellation. On modern Starlink dishes this handoff is seamless and happens every few minutes without a noticeable interruption.
Ground stations (called gateways or PoPs) connect the satellite constellation to the terrestrial internet backbone. Your data travels: device → dish → satellite → ground station → internet. Starlink has progressively deployed inter-satellite laser links (ISLs) that allow traffic to hop between satellites without touching the ground, reducing latency further for long-distance or polar routes where ground stations are sparse.
Frequency Bands and Capacity
LEO satellite services use licensed radio spectrum to communicate between dishes and satellites:
- Ku band (12–18 GHz): Starlink residential service primarily uses Ku band for user links. Good capacity but somewhat susceptible to heavy rain fade.
- Ka band (26.5–40 GHz): Higher throughput, used in some LEO services and for gateway uplinks. More vulnerable to rain fade than Ku.
- V band (40–75 GHz): Planned for future high-capacity beams. Very high bandwidth but short range and significant rain fade.
- E band and laser ISLs: Inter-satellite links use optical (laser) communication which is not radio spectrum — unlimited bandwidth, unaffected by weather in space.
Capacity per satellite cell is shared among all users under that satellite's beam footprint. As more subscribers join a region, each user's effective throughput decreases — this is why Starlink speeds vary significantly between sparsely populated rural areas and denser suburban zones.
LEO Providers and Constellations
| Provider | Constellation Size (approx.) | Status (2026) | Target Market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starlink (SpaceX) | 6,000+ satellites | Global service, expanding | Residential, maritime, aviation, enterprise |
| Amazon Kuiper | 3,200+ planned | Early launch phase | Consumer and enterprise |
| OneWeb (Eutelsat) | 648 satellites | Commercial service | Enterprise, government, maritime |
| Telesat Lightspeed | 198 planned | In development | Enterprise, government |
Dish Installation Requirements
LEO satellite dishes require an unobstructed view of a large portion of the sky, not just a single fixed point. Starlink's app includes an obstruction checker — point your phone at the sky to see if trees, chimneys, or roof overhangs will cause outages. Even a small obstruction can cause brief but repeated disconnections as satellites pass behind the obstacle.
Starlink dishes are self-orienting — they tilt and rotate automatically during setup to find the best position. Roof mounts, pole mounts, and wall mounts are all common. The dish draws 50–100W of power and requires a run of Starlink's proprietary cable back to the router (or a third-party router via the provided adapter).
Limitations to Know Before Subscribing
- Latency vs fiber: 20–60 ms is excellent for satellite but still higher than wired fiber (1–5 ms). High-frequency trading, competitive esports, and latency-sensitive industrial applications still favor fiber.
- Speed variability: Unlike cable or fiber, LEO speeds fluctuate with satellite density, time of day, and local congestion. Peak evening hours often show the most slowdown.
- Hardware cost: Starlink hardware (dish + router) costs several hundred dollars upfront — much more than a cable modem.
- Deprioritization: Residential plans are "best effort" — during congestion, Priority and Business subscribers get throughput first.
- Obstruction sensitivity: Snow accumulation on the dish causes outages. Most Starlink dishes have a built-in heater to melt snow, but heavy accumulation can still cause brief drops.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is LEO satellite internet faster than traditional satellite?
GEO satellites orbit at 35,786 km — a signal round trip covers over 71,000 km, adding 600+ ms of latency. LEO satellites orbit at ~550 km, reducing round-trip latency to 20–60 ms — close enough to wired broadband to support video calls, gaming, and VoIP that were impractical on GEO satellite.
What speeds does Starlink deliver?
Typically 50–250 Mbps download and 10–40 Mbps upload with 20–60 ms latency under normal conditions. Speeds vary by satellite density in your region, dish obstruction, and network congestion. Starlink Business and Priority tiers offer higher guaranteed throughput.
What are the limitations of LEO satellite internet?
Brief handoff moments between satellites, dish obstruction sensitivity (trees, buildings, snow), higher latency than wired fiber, variable speeds with congestion, higher hardware costs than DSL or cable, and a requirement for a clear sky view covering a large portion of the sky.